Staying involved helped one man out of homelessness, and empowers others

June 21, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

by Rekha Ravindran, Health Care for the Homeless Network Over the past decade, Greg Francis has moved into stable housing after living unsheltered – and he still remembers vividly what it was like to live unsheltered. “It was tough,” he says. “It felt like someone else was controlling my life. So I came up with […]

King County wins lawsuit, blocks federal government from terminating science-based teen pregnancy prevention program

May 29, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

(This News Release comes from the King County Executive Office) King County has won an important victory in U.S. District Court after demonstrating that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) acted unlawfully in abruptly cancelling its Teen Pregnancy Prevention grants two years early. “We sued the federal government because they are attempting […]

Rising number of homeless deaths reflects increasing numbers of people needing shelter and care

March 5, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

If we’re ever asked to consider that we might die someday, most of us probably hope it’s at home or doing something we love. For people experiencing homelessness in King County, 72 percent die in unfortunate public places, ranging from crawl spaces under buildings, to parked cars, to public parks. In 2017, the King County […]

Video: Student champions make the case for vaccination at Science Center

February 6, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

How would you convince a teenager to take vaccines seriously? One approach that can potentially double vaccine coverage rates is to start with their peers. You can learn how that works in this video from a current exhibit at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center called, “Vaccines & Immunity: It Takes a Community.” The video highlights the Public […]

An overwhelming desire for health insurance, as deadline looms

January 9, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

More people than ever are buying health insurance through Washington’s health insurance exchange, Washington Healthplanfinder. And with the surge in interest, King County’s network of health insurance navigators is offering extra hours to help people find the right plan for their needs (see below). In Washington state, because we operate our own Affordable Care Act […]

Preserving health insurance for children – and celebrating progress

November 1, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

With insurance coverage now above 98 percent for children in King County, nearly all children have health insurance – and full access to our health care system. This means these kids and youth can get their immunizations and catch health problems early, such as asthma, autism or cancer. Coupled with King County’s new Best Starts […]